@@Colestercamps yeah but the risk comes from your own mistakes, the job provides you with all the safety equipment necessary, if you fuck up though, yeah it's risky
YoloPotatoMan there is allot of unknown variables , helicopters go down , towers give out , rigging snaps , electrical fail safes fail , poles break , insulators break .
Not difficult for somebody that knows what they are doing. He’s making every move count, not a lot of wasted motion. What sucks is using the fall protection instead of free climbing. Nice job.
My dad did this for 40 years before retiring. Worked many ice storms in other locations and was called out all hours of the day and night no matter the weather. That man only had a 3rd grade education but could work circles around a lot of people. He "burned" a pole a couple of times. Back in his days they climbed everything. He has been gone for almost 10 years now and what I wouldn't do to have him back again. Thank you to all the linemen for doing this type of work!
@@OnTheRailwayOfficial 230V at 16A will kill you, so will 230 kV at 16 mA. You were saying? (What’s actually killing you is the combination of voltage, amps and time. You can survive 230V/16A if you’re only exposed for milliseconds.)
Ah ok, i know nothing about this though appreciate it very much...but that explains why they were yelling "you're still under 10min!". I was wondering why theyd say that and why he seemed so rushed. Makes sense if youre being examined.
What a different world! I'm an older retired lineman. I wish we were trained this way. I would be sharing this clip with the guys we lost. Two-point free climbing was the "safest" way back then. This is incredible! God Bless y'all doing the dirty work! Be SAFE. Yours truly, $lim
Toledo Edison lineman 10 years, circa 1968 to 1978. I was told when I was an apprentice, "if you can't free climb, we don't want you kid". Things have certainly changed for the better.
@@richardbartley5906 I am currently in the Toledo Edison PSI program. Year one. They made us experts at free climbing over the summer but we rarely use it.
Went through harness training recently. It was a pain because I’ll never have a chance to use it on a golf course crew. You linemen are the shit. Thanks for what you do.
@@cooketarlton1986 Speak for yourself. I was looking for what it was called. They harmed no-one by adding more information, and they helped at least one person. Get off your high horse.
When I did this type of work, 80’s, I remember in training the theme was “No second chance”. Highest voltage that I worked with was 138k. Mostly 12k. ish. Substation. It will pop you like a kernel of corn. Poof. Your done. Had a few nightmares. But then I talked to a man that worked up to 250k. He told me he actually did cross country hot taps that he had to attempt 2 and 3 times as he walked an arc in to connect. He said he had actually jumped out of bed before. Experienced or novice it still is dangerous and non-discriminating requiring the concentration of a Shaolin Monk. Total respect to them all.
250KV hot tap definitely sounds like an 80s thing to do. I just got done with a 7 month job doing a 500KV yard. Everywhere you walk your hair is standing up. Cool shit. Loud buzzing too.
as i watched, i was looking at the pole and thought "damn that things been climes 10,000 times." It wasn't until i saw the insulator drop a bit then come back up before i realized it was a training/rundown video lol
At our TRAINING SCHOOL the poles got so bad we shaved them with DRAW KNIVES. Now, there is a job. hahahahahahaha { Instructor said;" Don't cut your pole-straps......." ! lol
I noticed right away with all the different poles around. The condition of the pole he was climbing confirmed it. Still very interesting to watch though!
@@austincooper8974the reason they still use ropes is that not all power lines are accessible from the Street. Sure, when they're near a Road, they can use a crane with a bucket. But if it's isolated or somewhere truck can't travel, then it's up to the line man to get the job done
@austincooper8974 Bucket trucks and cranes are used regularly.... You can't always get a bucket truck or crane into where you need to go, or sometimes the bucket truck won't reach and its a waste bringing a crane out to work on a structure or two.... People have been doing this for a long time, we know what we're doing.
Which part of the equipement. Some of the ropes and pieces do have safety factor of 20. There is zero chance of them failing, unless you pay zero attention to their condition.
My best friends son has just finished his training to do high level cable's and low 10K voltage stuff here in the UK im so impressed by the way yours and our linemen work in all weathers to enable us to turn a light on and to keep warm a big thankyou from us all.
I have respect for you bc you can speak the truth & not fake front for ppl. Everyone has there likes/dislikes, strengths/weaknesses & abilities....yet it takes a real man(person) to know & admit it. Hats off to you.
Carter LOL! Well said Carter ! I’m with you 100% ! I don’t even like being this tall. I hate certain heights (like this), yet I’ve bern a pilot for 25yrs. Doesn’t make sense, but I can’t watch videos of the guys who crawl out on construction cranes and skyscraper ledges. They then hang off and do one-hand pull ups ! ..nope !
Some genuine brilliance went into finding a way to do this kind of work with just simple tools. That being said... not a chance I am ever trying something like that.
You guys are very skilled. My dad retired from Fairchild Air Force Base up here in Spokane as chief electrical planner so I understand and have a healthy respect for electricity and all the equipment that comes with it. You cant make mistakes. Period. Working at 100 plus feet on spikes in the wind on huge power lines requires elephant balls. Nice job
All together, it looks like too much of course. The thing about it is that you learn a little at a time, each new task when you get a grasp of the previous one. There's little room for an error on the foundation of course. In the upper right corner you see the array of practice poles. There you learn the basics of climbing safely, then learning to do various things, like playing catch; with both your hands while gaffed in and tied off. It's not as scary as it seems.
an incredible set of skills and iron cajones are displayed here. This guy makes feel so inadequate. He has the strength and endurance to shimmy up a pole 10 stories high with at least 30 lbs of gear, can tie as many knots as a sailor, has a very high level of electrical knowledge, and tremendous courage on top of all that. Whatever they pay these guys is not enough.
Watching these videos to make me feel like a puss for almost not having the balls to clean my gutters 1.5 stories up on a ladder. I now realize I am a puss and can finish the job. Thank you.
Imagine climbing their 50-foot training pole, it may be more I think they have poles that go up to 100 for training but I'm not sure. Its been a while since my cousin went there
Thank you doesn’t seem to be enough to show how much we appreciate what you do everyday to keep the power on for us. Stay safe out there. Never sacrifice safety for convenience or speed. You did a great job.
@@brantkirby7874 Because they are single people in chage of operations generating millions and millions in revenue for their shareholders? We don't live in a fairytale, you can't just give people a salary based on how difficult or important their job is. The money has to come from somewhere.
@@chibs3666 well that's not necessarily true either.. If a job is too hard, nobody would want to do it, which would increase salaries for those employed in such a field due to supply and demand
@@MrBmantheman Very true, but that doesnt negate the fact that the money still has to come from somewhere and it's actually feasible to pay few "important people" a lot than raise the salaries in fields containing thousands and thousands of workers.
This man is an animal and his time was insane. This isnt easy. . He would be a great teacher to the newer guys coming into this field . Well done sir and much respect
OMG What a craft and service that we all take for granted. Incredible. And to think I get nervous troubleshooting 460V on the ground. These guys with their rope skills would make great sailors and would never be worried about climbing the mast.
You can tell this is in a training environment, the pole looks like a million woodpeckers have hit it for years, the guy is rushing up the stick and the dead giveaway is the fact they have a bucket truck sitting there and they aren't using it. The other thing that struck me as odd was the rope they were using, why use a 5/8 or 3/4 juke rope when you could use a 7/16 synthetic that is way stronger and way lighter to haul up a pole. Not to mention in some areas using ladders like that is an oh&s violation. Most linemen I worked with would just superman in that situation if they couldn't get a bucket truck in, when I asked them why they said it was safer and less strenuous on their bodies.
@@jakemike_2.083 Didn't know there were training courses for collage making. We both acknowledged this is a training environment, NLC, so what's the purpose of your comment? Training is only good in real life if what you're doing is relevant. The one gripe I have with NLC graduates out on the line is they have a lack of knowledge on the transmission side of things. I know, I know, transmission line work is just big distribution work, Pan. But... It's not. It's even more dangerous. Can't tell you the amount of times I've had to holler over the radio to the next dead end when seeing a bucket run by apprentices is set up in the bite. Complacency is a big problem with NLC grads, at least from my experience. That and their massive excitement for the small chance they might be able to climb a wood pole for once. At the Dallas NLC it seems the only transmission training they get is climbing a lattice tower. Not including the majority of NLC grunts we get are from California.
@@jakemike_2.083 I mean one would say his entire first paragraph is him deducing it's a college training environment. He was really just pointing out why they're using what looks to be twisted jute rope(the one used for pulling the ladder and raising/lowering the insulator) when it's heavier, weaker and personally we never used anything aside from synthetic. Imagine climbing 100' wood H-frame's doing a silly thing all day, that difference in weight would really show.
Its just ropes, boot spikes, carabines and a ladder. They had all of this equipment in the 20s. At least, how can you imagine pulling that ceramic isolation up without any of it (well, maybe a ladder).
@@jonathanlawson4667 yeah, the carrbiner strappy thing is a buck squeeze. look hem up. they have little steel studs tha use your body weight to lock you into the pole
Just go travel around any number of developing nations and take a look at how stuff like this is done in many places. Perhaps not quite as bad as 100 years ago, but certainly nowhere the level of safety we expect in a modern nation.
This guy has perfect technique, skills and communication. I work in the tool control program for a company that does this... I inspect, repair and send out tooling that should be serviced by a 3rd party.. Their safety is in my hands. RESPECT THESE GUYS!
I give big props to the people who do this job. I am terrified of heights and I can’t imagine being that high and swinging from a ladder, no thank you.
@@mattrush7369 hell yeah bro good job. I wasn't expecting to see a comment on here of someone I know lol, I'm doing groundman work here in Ohio and loving it so far.
@@nathanielvance7611 I'm getting ready to graduate high school and I'm looking at being a Lineman up in Northern Michigan. Is it worth everything? Is there anything I should know before starting? Also is the pay pretty good?
That's a pretty cool climbing belt he's using. Went through pole climbing in 2000. Climb up with no belt, then hook in when you were at the height you needed. Cool set up
Has got to be tuff on the knees and ankles you my friend earn your paycheck. Way to go you make it look easy. I work in NYC on skyscrapers being up there is great .stay safe brother
It's far more safe than you actually think. The only way you're falling with a bucksqueeze is if someone chops the poll from underneath you. Even then if the lines are strong enough, hell that poll will just hang there, and you'll be swinging with it. You'll get a few bruises and do a nut check, but you ain't falling.
Donny Peters why you have wooden poles in US ...I mean they're not tensile enough to withstand the mechanical stresses and over period of time get hollowed by moist weather.
It's very common to have concrete or steel poles in urban areas here in the US. We have great expanses of rural area where we don't have the available resources or money to make poles out of anything other than wood.
Usually they are still wooden in areas that are not major metropoliton areas. They coat them in tar to keep em from rotting and they last quite a while.
This was a real education to watch. Those who risk thier safety to ensure that we have power to do what we do deserve respect. In the UK we have electricity pylons (towers to the Americans) going as high as 168feet and someone has to do stuff like that along with painting them. Scary heights but a good view.
you notice how he just pulled the lower insulator off the shoe without having to back-out the pin? and how the insulator only went about 1/3 of the way down before it came back up. Our instructors woulda made our asses recomp, lol. I think he did have to recomp because he says in the video "aight ill do it again" at some point. Still 11min is a SMOKING fast time.
Damn! You really killed it, man! I can tell you have some serious knowledge of the protocols and lot of experience. Great handle there with all of the equipment and quite fast! Really inspiring performance here of you and your team.
After awhile it becomes second nature. Always always trust your equipment and training. There's a reason we" At least my company " have to certify every year. Great job my brother's!
I’ll never forget this competency my first 3 try’s where an 1hr and 30mins and I felt like giving up so bad. Fixed all my errors on the third try and got 22mins. Great investment into NLC while I attend the term 2018. Came long way brother
If there was ever a time I thought I might be able to work as a lineman, I know now that’s a hell no. Those heights were killing me. I’m sitting on my couch watching this feeling like I was about to die. Major props to those folks. Sheesh.
Climbing the pole is one thing. But hanging on a half ladder that hangs from the pole cross support? Yea, f*ck that! I wasn't planning on climbing a pole for 1 million dollars so I don't care if there is a huge bag of money and my dream girl waiting for me to hang on that ladder, thats just not going to happen. I'd tell me boss I quit. No way Jose
They could offer me $5 k p/hr and I still wouldn't attempt shit like that for a Job...Nope nope nope. You have to be hard-wired for that, an adrenaline junkie.
Im climbing poles for a living (not in usa). The scariest thing is not falling from the wires breaking but the thought that you might forget one single thing when your are stressed/tired. And if u forget one thing that can mean serious injury or even death.
